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bellarosa009

Okay, tell the truth. How much do you spend

bellarosa
16 years ago

on your garden each year? In other words, how much do you spend on plant purchases every year. For me, I buy plants every year and everywhere! I've bought plants at the Farmer's Market, at the grocery store, Menards, Lowes, Home Depot, local nurseries, on-line, and so on! I guess I'm a plant addict! As for how much I spend each year, probably around $300-500, in a good year! What about you?

Comments (50)

  • PRO
    Nell Jean
    16 years ago

    Just on plant purchases? We keep up with all purchases, except cash spent at the dollar store. I set a budget and kept a spreadsheet on bulb purchases last year. I spent less than the $225 in my bulb budget.

    I spent $40 last year on garden books (not counting overdue fines at the library).

    We put together a Harbor Freight 10x12 greenhouse, made considerable modifications, and added water and electricity, which doubled the price.

    I'm making specific plans in the garden these days, which cuts down on the 'here, there, everywhere' purchases. If it isn't on my broad list (12 red flowered annuals; 2 pots of summer flowering bulbs; enough herbs to cover 36 square feet -- categories allow you to buy those things you hadn't expected to find but prevents buying things you don't need) I don't buy.

    Nell

  • pacnwgrdngirl
    16 years ago

    wow bellarosa-
    I thought I was the only one that does EXACTLY everything that you do.......... I even bought a Becky Shasta Daisy at the grocery store yesterday! I've actually gotten some very cool things at that supermarket. I love that particular daisy and had a perfect spot for it. I can't even go grocery shopping without checking out the plants they have!!!! I spend about what you do, I think.........

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  • jakkom
    16 years ago

    Boy, I hate to count it all up, but actually I spend relatively little these days compared to when we did the original install. That turned out to be a whopping sum in total, though!

    Since we had to install both additional hardscape (to link what was there to what we wanted to install) as well as terracing, improved drainage, new raised beds, and container plantings all around, it took us 3 years and about $17,000. This was a terrific savings because most, not all, of it was DIY, including the design and research.

    In our high-labor-cost area, a similar landscaping installed completely by a pro would have cost closer to $50-75K.

    I went from a killer of houseplants to a rabid gardener who has memorized virtually all the Latin names of every plant I've ever put in. I also keep making mostly minor, occasionally major, adjustments to the plantings, trying to get them "perfect" (yeah, like that's ever really going to happen, LOL!).

    2006 was the first year we didn't have any install to do, just the (too often) occasional impulse buy and no-it's-really-dead replacement plants. I got my expenditures down to around $700, counting mulch and soil products, plants, hoses/fertilizers/weedkiller - but not things like garden furniture or cushions.

    I expect it to fall even further this year, since there's very little room left in the garden beds!

  • maozamom NE Ohio
    16 years ago

    I make it a point not to count how much I spend. I'm afraid if I knew then I'd have to cut back.

  • DYH
    16 years ago

    When I had an established garden at a previous house, I had a yearly budget of $500, including mulch, plants and fertilizers. The last few years in that house, I spent less as I had plenty of daylilies, hostas and other perennials to divide to fill up the garden.

    Since we're establishing a very large new garden at a newly constructed house, the expenses are much greater. I don't consider what we're doing now to be the "normal" budget since we're doing some hardscape and hauling in good soil. Once we're established, I intend to be back on the $500 per year budget (I'm retired now and DH will retire in a few years).

  • rosefolly
    16 years ago

    This year, a lot. More than I ought. 'Nuff said. I'm scaring myself, time to stop for now.

  • shirl36
    16 years ago

    Two years ago, I start a garden journal and a list of all
    purchases and cost. after adding up the second page, I thought "oh my gosh!" so I quit....quit keeping track of
    the cost, and went right on buying what I wanted. I know
    how much money is laying on the bottom of our account and
    will know when to quit....I just go ahead and enjoy......

  • seamommy
    16 years ago

    My DH likes to know how much we spend on every little thing but I don't. My philosophy is 'I work so I can have what I want.' I have a high stress job and I work a lot of hours, and I used to get comp time if I worked more than 40 hours a week, but I don't even get comp time anymore. So by golly, if I want to spend $200 on plants in an afternoon, I just go on and do it. It's stress relief for me to get outside and work till I'm so tired I have to crawl to the door. Don't I sound crazy? Well, who cares? Anyway, I spend more some years and less in other years and I prefer passalong plants to store-bought ones. I like my home-made compost better than any I've ever bought. But sometimes ya just gotta spend money. Right now I've got my eye on a real nice (and fairly expensive) Japanese maple and I really want it, so I'm only waiting to buy it until I can decide on the best place to plant it...

    Cheryl

  • memo3
    16 years ago

    well, over all I think I spend very little. Last year was a record breaker but I bought several trees and numerous bushes in addition to 50 + daylilies and a lot of perennials and bulbs. Probably $500-$700. This year will not exceed what I've already spent on mulch and the remainder of the things I needed for the hoophouse. I'm right at $350 this year. Next year I hope to grow most things from seed and would think I'd be able to stay in $200-$300 range. I'm still doing a lot of hardscaping so in a few years that total should drop significantly. Normally I spend less than $50 per year.

    MeMo

  • susie_gardener_2007
    16 years ago

    I probably spend more than I should, but not as much as I wish I could. Sometimes when I visit the nursery and see all of those beautiful flowers, I want one of everything. And it's the same way when I'm looking at catalogs. So I have to make a wish list and pare it down before I buy. It would be a scary thing to add up all I spend on the yard in a year. But it is an investment in our property and it's cheaper than therapy. And I get so much pleasure out of it. Is that enough justification for all that time and money?!! Maybe I need to go to work at a nursery.

    Susie

  • hopflower
    16 years ago

    Wow! All of these answer are great except the first one. I could not; I repeat, not keep track; or I would run out screaming with the amount shown there in black and white! The rest of the answers are me to a tee. I spend some on attractive pots for bulbs and plants, too. I bought three absolutely gorgeous ones today... one navy blue, one true red, and one in a soft green. The orchid and yellow and blue pots were bought earlier. I spend a lot of time trying to match plants and pots...it creates hours of joy for me. And there is always a new sweet pea to try!

  • Steveningen
    16 years ago

    I have no clue how much money we've spent on plants in the past three years. It's been a lot. We had to demolish and start from scratch, so it wouldn't be reasonable to compare it to normal circumstances. But even once my garden is fully established, I won't hesitate a minute to give it a padded budget. Before I had my garden to play in, my money went towards other entertainments. City stuff. Just going out for dinner, seeing a play and taking taxis would cost us over a hundred bucks. We now spend that same hundred bucks going to a nursery, picking out what we enjoy and spending the weekends tooling around our little slice of earth, making pretty. This is my entertainment now and I'm loving it.

  • armyyife
    16 years ago

    Well I have nowhere near $500-$700 to spend on plants. On a single military income and homeschooling it doesn't leave a whole lot for extras. I guess I would say I spend about $50-$70 a year on my garden including compost/mulch. That's why my garden grows so slowly but that's ok. This year I tried a bunch of seed to try to get the plants I want. Sometimes a friend of mine (who is bulb crazy) when she divides her bulbs gives me some. I look for good sales and try to stick with plants that multiply and reseed themselves! It would be nice to have a few hundred dollars to spend but I don't so I make do with what I have.
    Meghan

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    16 years ago

    I don't even like to think about it! The nursery where I work tracks by customer so I can look up my spending any time I want, but I tend not to very often (like never!). Even with my employee discount, I qualify as a "preferred" customer. And that doesn't include what I spend elsewhere, which as a frequent visitor to nurseries all over the area, can be considerable. Nor does it include supplies like mulch or tools or decorative containers. And as a plant collector, many of my purchases tend to be on the pricey end of things anyway.

    However, it is just me - kids grown and gone - and I can indulge myself and my plant passion if I wish. I figure there are worse things to spend one's money on and I don't do malls or casinos :-)

  • treelover
    16 years ago

    Most of my receipts for garden stuff go into the kitchen drawer. I'm kind of afraid to add them up, but we aren't going into debt because of the garden purchases so I don't worry about it.

    Once in a while dh squawks a little about how often I buy plants--but he likes the way our little property looks, and he doesn't have to get dirty himself so the complaints are rare.

    I justify what I spend on my garden in two ways. First, my 8-5 job is mind-numbingly boring. By the end of the day I'm practically suicidal. Gardening is what restores my sanity. (In fact, the gardenweb forums are often what keep me from running from the office screaming.) Second, I don't have any other expensive hobbies, unless you count my cats, and I do oodles of things myself that most people I know hire someone to do...so I feel free to spend those savings on whatever I want.

    Lately, I've started propagating and starting stuff from seed, which gives me more to play with for less. If I had a garden shed I could do more of that, but of course the cost of the shed wouldn't offset the savings.

    I plant perennials mostly, so once I've turned every square foot of lawn into garden beds the expenses should drop off. ;-]

  • lynnencfan
    16 years ago

    No budget here at all - gardening is what my husband and I do 24/7 year round - it is our entertainment/part grocery store/vacation/you name it. I am far happier spending $40.00 at a nursery than going out to dinner. I can enjoy the flowers far longer than a dinner. We have both gotten into WSing and propagating not so much to save money but just for the sheer pleasure of it. A truck load of good flower garden mix brings a smile to my face more than jewelry. I confess - I AM A GARDENAHOLIC and proud of it.......

    Lynne

  • FlowerLady6
    16 years ago

    We do keep track of all of our expenditures, but I've not really added up just my gardening expenses and now that this thread has been started I'll look in our records for the past couple of years. I don't spend a lot as we basically live on a certain amount of money. I have been getting into planting more seeds and love growing things that will propogate easily. I look for good deals also and friends have been generous with gifts from their gardens. I love making cuttings and seeing them root and take off. There is no budget, no set amount. When I'm able to buy something for the gardens it is a real treat. I want to get into more perennials and natives these days, but annuals are wonderful for some spring color, instantly. I also have gotten quite q few plants 'curb-side' shopping. :-) People throw out plants in pots even, so I'm always on the look out.

    I started gardening in 1980 on this piece of property and the gardens have progressed from there. Seeing all the wonderful, full, beautiful gardens here have made me envious at times, but I am learning to count my blessings and enjoy the beauty that surrounds me.

    Happy Gardening ~ Big or small, our gardens make us happy.

    FlowerLady

  • PattiOH
    16 years ago

    If I have extra mad money I put it in my "Flower Fund". Then I spend it all on my garden, no matter how much or how little that amount is. I've always purchased plants in the past, but this year I have to pinch my pennies, so I'm sowing seeds and dividing my existing perennials.

    I agree with FlowerLady. How wonderful that we all have beautiful flowers to enjoy, whether we have a two acre English cottage garden or a tiny plot by the front door.
    It's all fun.

  • mrmorton
    16 years ago

    I don't keep track. I know I spend a good amount just on compost and mulch each year. Plant purchases just kinda happen here and there. Like others have mentioned, I'll buy plants from pretty much anywhere, if its a good deal, or something I've been wanting. I tend to buy most things in the smaller sizes. If I do buy a larger pot, I make sure it is a plant that I can divide right away and get my moneys worth out of it. I've bought a single 1 gal Hosta from Lowes that I divided up into 5 small plants in my garden. THATS smart shopping.
    Once a year, we take trips to a couple specialty nurseries/garden centers that have things no Home Depot or Lowes would ever carry. Naturally, plants from such places cost more, but I tend to be very particular about what I buy. I very much look forward to these trips.
    I DO have an advantage in that I get pretty much all my annuals throughout the year from work, for free. These would otherwise cost me a few $100 bucks.
    I have no qualms about money spent on the garden. This is WHAT I DO. Sure, I spend a small amount of cash on a few other hobbies, but my garden always gets priority.

  • aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
    16 years ago

    Hmmm...It's have to buy that plant season again!!! How much do I spend?
    How many ways can you fix Kraft Dinner and get away with it,
    TOPPINGS: freshly cooked bacon bits, diced tomatoes, chopped sweet onion, assorted colors of slivered sweet peppers, lightly sauted medallions of polish sausage... LOL... Does anyone out there have any more suggestions for toppings for my Kraft Dinner ?

    A......

  • faltered
    16 years ago

    I think the first year we were living here, I probably spent between $300 and $500. Most of it was for dirt, mulch, and the like as the gardens needed to be built up. After that, I probably spend less than $100 a year, most going to whatever big project I take on. One year it was landscaping edging for the beds. Another year it was solar lights for the gardens.

    On plants, I spend less than $50 a year. I like to grow most of mine from seed. It gives me a greater variety and more gratification seeing everything bloom.

    Tracy

  • bloominganne
    16 years ago

    I just spent $2,600 for someone to build 2 arbors and a matching pergola with seats in it. I probably have spent close to $300 on roses in the past 12 mos. Then there's all the daylilies, iries, and hostas ... well, I haven't kept any totals but suffice to say I've spent a lot.

    If I also add in the expenses for my basement room to be made into a nice gardening room with a stainless steel commercial sink ... ouch.

    I'm lucky that I can afford these purchases. I've just come inside from a couple of hours of covering my roses with sheets because of the freeze forecasted again tonight. I covered them more for the love of the plants then the expense but when I saw this thread it reminded me that I do have quite a bit of money invested!

    bloominganne

  • jakkom
    16 years ago

    One good reason, BTW, to keep track of your expenditures on gardening expense that are NOT maintenance, is that if you sell your home, landscaping expenses can be used to offset your capital gains profit.

  • treelover
    16 years ago

    Aftermidnight: Kraft dinner toppings...how about some of those flower seeds you saved way too many of? Served with iced compost tea? No, wait--you're in BC. Better make that hot compost tea.

  • aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
    16 years ago

    All kidding aside, I actually try to keep my spending within $500 which I save up over the year for the following spring gardening season.
    I've been gardening in the same place for 30+ years and now I'm just adding a few things here and there.
    Yep, I have been known to hijack some of the grocery buget to buy that certain plant that catches my eye at the supermarket, and, Kraft Dinner with bacon and chopped tomato makes a quick and easy meal when I've been working in the garden all day, actually it's quite tasty.

    A......

  • gldno1
    16 years ago

    This is all very interesting.....I keep every thing we spend in Quicken software, do this for taxes. Every check is categorized....I love being able to see what is spent. I just checked back three years. Totals were around $1,000, last year was $800, this year $225. I am very proud of myself. We are both retired now so can't really spend carelessly. I don't plant to spend more than $300 to $400 annually and hopefully less. I was all set to order irises and daylilies and made myself stop! I have 4 nursery rows in the garden of seed-raised daylilies and iris from divisions. They should all bloom this year....so I will wait and see what I have.

    That includes all garden purchases, pots, tools, soil, plants, anything related to gardening, both ornamental and vegetable.

    My plans are each year to buy l or 2 plants that I have been wanting for a long time....Indian Giver daylily or Summer Wine, more red iris and a few other antiques irises.

    I hope I can hold to that plan.

  • rosefolly
    16 years ago

    All this is interesting. I must say that Meghan's method -- seeds and cuttings and passalong plants over a period of years -- is probably closest to the original thrifty spirit of the cottage garden. And we're all working on replicating those cottage gardens, albeit more quickly, so it must have been a good model.

    Rosefolly

  • mary_lu_gw
    16 years ago

    More than I want to know!

    Have most receipts, but no desire to add them up to find out the total. Considering we started with a blank slate, it has been expensive, not just plants but the hardscaping too.

    But we love it. So can't put a price on it! (Sounds good, right?)

    Probably $300-500 a year now, counting the mulch, fertilizer, replacing tools, gloves, etc. and of course some new plants.
    Marylu

  • SandL
    16 years ago

    I spend a lot less now than I did when I first started out. Because I didn't know enough about plants at first I'd buy whatever and hope I could find a place for it somewhere. Most of what I planted didn't survive because I didn't know enough about what I was planting.

    Now I spend the winter months planning out which bed I'm going to focus on. Since I have about six different kinds of beds I will focus on only one a season, buying only those plants that will work in those areas. Other than plants, I also have to budget ornamental pieces, like arbors, sundial, post for sundial, brick, pots, etc.

    Most of the shopping I do is during sales or special events at my favorite nursery. So far I've only spent $25 on plants for my pots and $100 for a new arbor that acts as an entrance way for my rose/herb garden.

    On average I'd say I spend about a $150 on plants each year.

    Heather

  • nanahanna
    16 years ago

    We have already spent about $800 this year on topsoil, mulch, flowers and hardscape stuff and still have almost that much to go what with the deck for the pond, new bed for the ornamental grass I bought DH for his birthday, flagstone for new walkways and I still have a 125' x 450' lot that will be bare after we move late MILs mobile home. I hope to make a rose garden, greenhouse and garden shed on that lot but it will take years for all that to come together and of course the money will have to come together too! LOL.

    Nanahanna

  • irene_dsc
    16 years ago

    On plants/seeds, probably about $50-150/yr. Plus mulch, etc, it depends - $50-$200, depending? Which is why my garden does not have much in the way of hardscape, etc...And what I need to find is a cheaper source of mulch & compost. so I can budget more for the fun stuff! (One of the first projects, after we resolve some pesky drainage issues, is to build my compost bins, and cut down a couple of trees - which will then provide mulch...)

  • moonphase
    16 years ago

    I would be afraid to try keeping track of how much I spend every year.Since I started wsing 2 yrs ago.I don't buy as many perennials,but still buy alot I see for seeds..lol or that is what I tell myself.Now,I have gotten into daylilies,dahlias and hostas.But with 2 acres to fill up,this may take a few yrs..lol.This is my hobby and something I love getting out doing,so to me it is the best money spent on anything..well,I did just buy a motorcycle..lol I needed another something to fill my time since retiring.
    moonphase

  • thistle5
    16 years ago

    I work at a garden center, & my motivation for working there is to earn money for my garden. I have spent at least $200/month there for the last year, (I work p/t, 15-24/hrs/wk, for a low hourly wage). Now that it's spring, I'm closer to 300-500/month, but it's worth it to me. I buy new plants coming in, mulchs, soil amendments, seeds, garden toys-I take the summers off, because I have school age kids. Although somedays I grumble about how my workplace is run, I LOVE working there, despite the pay, & miss it when I'm not there...

  • limequilla
    16 years ago

    I refuse to answer on the grounds that it may tend to incriminate me. But Thistle is close.

    I flew to Portland last year to buy roses, lilies and ferns. Do I have to count the flight? What about the extra money for the 75# plant suitcase? LOL!

    Lime

  • natalie4b
    16 years ago

    Probably close to 200 per month. I don't count - makes me feel very guilty to count :-). Lately I have been spending more - getting a bunch of roses, flowering shrubs, mulch, replacing broken shoves (the soil is a very hard clay).
    Number one excuse: My "latte factor" is close to zero. Gardening is my only indulgence. Well, almost...

  • gonativegal
    16 years ago

    In all the years I've gardened I don't think I've ever spent more than $150 bucks. And that was the exception - my husband insisted on purchasing some knockout roses and a couple of Japanese Anenomes for his garden and they're not cheap. I'm such a skinflint that I almost had a heart attack. Usually, I keep it to $50 and under for everything. They were worth it though, very beautiful and carefree.

    I have a unique situation in that I work in this business so that I can everything pretty much for free. About the only thing I pay for is annuals for my pots. But the perennials I wait for them to get big enough to divide or wait for them to reseed. Usually, there's always an extra or two leftover from a job.

    With regards to the hardscaping, it took me 7 years of collecting flagstone by trolling around the alleys and asking people for it to get enough for the whole front yard. I'm pretty patient though.

    Although, I will confess when I'm out at the garden centers spending hundreds of dollars of other people's money for their gardens, although fun, it does gnaw at me occasionally. I wish I could afford to spend this kind of money on my own garden especially when it's really cool stuff like the woodland wildflowers like trilliums and bloodroot.

  • compass5b
    16 years ago

    What an interesting thread, just last month I finally bit the bullet and started keeping my receipts in my garden journal so that I'd have more than a "ballpark figure" in my mind (which is probably just a handy trick for spending whatever I can spare!)

    Without going back over my bank records before March, I'd say that last year I spent just under $1,000. By far the most expensive garden purchase that year was a haircut for the beautiful-but-enourmous elm in my backyard($700). This year the big spenders were all of the monster containers that I bought at half-off sales over winter and then the 6 yards of compost that I bought to improve my clay soil (over $80 for the containers and $160 for the compost).

    I love soil, love-love-love a friable, earth-worm filled loam and since last year was my first year at this house with glass-filled clay, I'm still trying to get my beds presentable. I can spend money on plants later. This year I'm satisfied with the few seeds that I've purchased/traded for. I figure that I can splash out on peonies and iris when I'm really sure that my soil is fabulous.

  • thistle5
    16 years ago

    I wanted to add that plants & bulbs bought at the grocery store don't count-they're in the grocery budget. I've also loaded up on free mulch from the county, until I got my own compost pile going (I got pallets from work, use shredded leaves, grass clippings, kitchen scraps-now I really need to hit Starbucks). I've purchased alot of nice containers at work, some at cost-if they're chipped or cracked. I buy gifts there, for my childrens' teachers, soccer coaches,friends(whose moms have them over for alot of playdates), & family birthdays.

    I also shop around, if I can find it cheaper somewhere else, I'll get it. My husband is in the Army, so I have access to the post home & garden center-it's hit & miss there, but the prices are better than where I work, even w/ my employee discount. Last night, I picked up a big var. sweet flag for $7 & a hydrangea, 'Ayesha' for $6.

    My garden is my obsession & my therapy-there's nothing like going out in the morning, & walking around & see what's coming up-it's worth every dollar & hour I spend on it....

  • gottagarden
    16 years ago

    I'm with mao tse mom
    I make it a point not to count how much I spend. I'm afraid if I knew then I'd have to cut back.

    I'm frugal with perennials - clearance sales, plant swaps, endless division. But I love trees and they are expensive and they can't be divided and seeds really would take forever. So I just close my eyes, wave the plastic card, and tell DH he's lucky I'm not into jewelry.

  • deborahz7
    16 years ago

    Estimating here... Last year it was about $1000 but that included some hardscaping. We moved into new construction and are taking our time. I thought that was alot and noticed most of what I liked I could grow from seed.

    So this year I've spent maybe $250 on seeds plus other materials. I have around 500-600 seedlings right now. Some are perennials, some annuals. I'm not in any hurry and have the time to watch the perennials grow.

    I also placed 1 order with Bluestone and limited myself to $75. When going thru a catalogue I first set myself a budget. Then I make a list of the items I really like. Then I go thru that list and cross off the items I don't like as much as others until I'm within the budget. Oops, I also bought 2 Camelia's but we bought both on sale at the end of the season. A Nuccio's Gem and a Nuccio's Pearl - $45 for the 2.

    This year we put in a flagstone patio and we estimated it cost $250. We got a deal on the stone (whole pallet for $120) because someone took a few pieces out of it. We definitely are DIY'rs. Especially being a young family in our first ever house. Though our personalities are such that even if we had the money I think we'd still do it ourselves.

    We have 3 Japanese Maples we bought young and in small pots. Got 1 last Fall on sale and the other 2 in winter. We spent $10 per tree. Again, we're not in any hurry and willing to put in the time to watch them grow.

    I have 1 garden shop I like alot and go there about weekly just to see whats new or on sale. Folks there have gotten to know myself & DH and always give us deals.

    I'm not planning on buying anything else this year but I know I will. Truthfully I don't know where I would put it. I'd like to get a climbing rose but may do that next year.

  • flowerchild5
    16 years ago

    i've already spent about$300 on compost and potting mix.I bought 2 yards of the potting mix for my plants I bring home from work and my ws babies.I do my own cuttings also. i use the seed exchange forum for about 95% of my seeds so not too much cost there.. just stamps I think I spent $20. recycle the bubble mailers. I used to spend a ton of money on plants. i've cut way back. hubby builds my arbors and fences and such with wood off of jobs he's done. He brought me a sunflower bird bath from a demo job and brought me posts and troughs, a swinging bench that he dug out of the dump. he's a very cool guy. my brother is giving me a bunch of pavers and edging and soil that he and his wife decided not to use. decided they don't have a green thumb and are moving to an apartment. they are taking the lavander rose I gave them as a wedding present. it was thier color for the wedding. she's going to have me pot it for her. she's afraid she'll kill it. But, back to the original question i spend about $500 a year or so. Oh, I havent gone out to Northwest gardens yet....oh my...do I hear a cha ching coming on?
    flowerchild5

  • flutterby81
    16 years ago

    deborah7, where did you get a pallet of flagstone for $120? We were looking for flagstone to put a pathway in this spring, and it was going to be more than 10 times what you paid... We ended up just getting the stone shaped concrete steppers.

    On the budget topic, I would guess my plant purchases are less than $200 a year. I get a lot of divisions from family and friends, start a lot from seed, and shop the "save-me" rack at the garden centers.

    I don't count hardscaping projects, those go under the home improvement column.

  • thistle5
    16 years ago

    That partial pallet price for stone is good, where I work, we sell a full pallet of wallstone (maybe ok for paths, not great for patios, really best for retaining walls) for $190 regularly, goes on sale fairly often for $170. What really kills you is delivery, we have to contract out for that, $125 for 1-3 pallets, which will be going to $175 sometime this month. I think I migh ask my DH for some stone for my birthday...

  • Theresa24 (NeFL9a)
    16 years ago

    Thank You Thistle and Natalie! I wasn't going to post because I thought mine would be the highest. I actually have been avoiding reading this thread cuz I thought it would make me feel guilty. I was very frugal when I started gardening as a stay at home mom. I started with mostly seeds and occasionally "splurged" on a small plant order or nursery trip. But now that I'm working and DH has got a few raises, I have become a real addict with ordering from catalogs (I've ordered LOTS this year) and taking trips to the nursery and coming away with a large haul. Also stopping at the box stores every few days to see if they have gotten anything interesting in (sometimes they do). And then, of course, there's compost, potting soil, etc. So I DO NOT WANT TO KNOW.
    I keep telling myself that once I have everything, I won't need to be such a plant buyer. But, darn, they come out with such beauties every year!
    Theresa

  • thistle5
    16 years ago

    Theresa,
    My DH hates that I have discovered online shopping & my boss at the garden center doesn't understand it at all-while we have a great garden center, we have no online shopping at all. But I can go online, get recommendations from other gardeners, compare prices, & order the best stock available. I don't mind paying shipping prices, because it saves my time.

    I also start seeds, but my problem is that I have too many ideas & not enough time. I plant lots of stuff, & most of it survives, I started a compost pile this year, but my attention is scattered. I think it will all work out in the end-at least, it's entertaining my neighbors, who see me outside all the time working. We exchange ideas over the fence, they've been here 30 years, & we love to talk about plants.

    Y'all have to wish me luck, my husband comes back from a deployment this weekend & I'd like to have everything in pots planted, so it looks like it's been there for awhile. We already have quite a few more Japanese maples then when he left, can't really hide those :)...

  • nippersdad
    16 years ago

    This thread was really fun to read, I wish that I had the restraint that most of you have shown. I have spent every available minute this spring buying...everything. We started with two acres of worn out cotton land planted in centipede. I figure that the oak seedlings dug out of the fence offset the price of all of the japanese magnolias I have been buying lately...so if I divide the cost of everything I have bought by that which I have scavenged, I'm doing pretty well. Or, at least, that is what I am telling my Wife....

    Note to Mr. Morton: I hear you! They often plant two or three camellias to a pot...so you can pay six dollars for a one gallon camellia and effectively only pay two or three dollars per plant. Then you take cuttings on the three $2 camellias (I got two cuttings per) and they come out around eighty cents each! I got thirty liriope plants out of a pot of liriope on sale for a dollar at K-mart last year...The cheap factor can become amazingly, addictively fun....

  • natalie4b
    16 years ago

    My husband said I have a black belt in shopping: always manage to find a great bargain for the garden. Even though I spend way more then I should, my garden gives me back tenfold. So, my savings account will not be as chubby as it could be. My garden is worth it. I grow more green there then in a bank :-).

  • deborahz7
    16 years ago

    Hi Flutter, I got the stone from Pikes, a local nursery here in Charlotte. It was their last one and almost full. Only missing 2-3 pieces. We borrowed a friends truck and had no problem getting it home.

    Truthfully, it really does help to find a place you like, go often, get to know the folks who work there. You'd be amazed what deals can get worked out when your a regular customer. I love the smaller shops vs. the big box stores. Folks seem more knowledgable and plants look healthier. Initially the cost is higher but once your recognized as a regular they will work with you. Atleast thats been my experience.

  • flowered-corners
    16 years ago

    I don't keep track, but I don't buy big ticket items either.Last fall I spent $15.00 a bulb ( bought 4)on something I wanted.For me that was alot.But on the whole I nickle and dime myself into the hundreds?!?!
    I buy small plants and wait.This year however I am going a bit crazy.I want some big items a tree, a porch and a few new ex-large pots.This year will be over the top for us.But I work way to much and have no real interests outside of gardening & kids so ... If my dh ever lost his mind and mentioned cost I would just spend a few nights at the local casino like my co-works.Not only would I loss money with nothing to show for it,he would have the kids.I would bet he would straighten up in a heart beat and go buy me some seedlings..

  • angelcub
    16 years ago

    "So I just close my eyes, wave the plastic card, and tell DH he's lucky I'm not into jewelry."

    HA! I'm going to remember that one! lol!

    I don't keep judicious records but do save the receipts, as jkom suggests. I'm fortunate to not have to be too concerned about what I spend, plus I have a very indulgent DH. I'd estimate that I spend an average of $100-200 a month, with some months being less, such as Jan.-Feb. when I basically just refresh the winter annuals. Then there are months like this one when I've easily spent close to a thousand $ but we are revamping the area out back so we've bought several new trees and at least a dozen new roses, plus various shrubs and perennials. Next comes the hardscaping material which will probably make those numbers triple . . . not as much fun to buy, but a must do.

    Diana

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